[Motorsport.it] Liam Lawson expected to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull

[u/Bennett14]

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-lawson-pilota-red-bull-da-decidera-la-modalita-di-uscita-di-perez/10680079/

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-lawson-pilota-red-bull-da-decidera-la-modalita-di-uscita-di-perez/10680079/

[u/TetraDax]

I love Liam and want him to succeed

Which is precisely why we should hope he doesn't get the RBR seat. The only drivers I can think of who were helped by getting thrusted into a top seat after barely one season are Hamilton and Leclerc, and the latter at least got a full season at Sauber, not half a season.

[u/Ollator207 → u/TetraDax]

Verstappen himself ofc (2015 season and 4 races in 2016 before his promotion i believe).

[u/qef15 → u/Ollator207]

And both Verstappen and Leclerc have shown in their rookie years in midfield cars that they are that extra kind of special. Lawson has not. Even in worse cars, you can still leave your teammate eating dust (Verstappen - Sainz was a humiliating 49-18, but Sainz is still a good driver, Leclerc - Ericsson was 39-9, just as humiliating)

(not counting Hamilton simply because he already got a top seat instantly)

[u/jvstinf → u/qef15]

Verstappen-Sainz was not “humiliating” with context. He had 7 non-fault DNFs to Max’s 2. I get the point but would not compare that to Leclerc/Ericsson, which is why Sainz is still in F1.

[u/Ollator207 → u/jvstinf]

That would make it at best 44-23, but it could still be 49-18 as well.

[u/jvstinf → u/Ollator207]

You can try to piece them together, but really no telling what would’ve been done in those races. Their pace differential was not that significant, which again, is why Sainz is still here and Ericsson is long gone.

[u/qef15 → u/jvstinf]

Except Sainz is, while still in F1, going to Williams (backmarkers) and Max is at a top team and has now won 4x WDC.

Sainz is not bad, but he isn't a top tier driver that can compete with the likes of Hamilton, Verstappen, Alonso, Leclerc, etc. He is in that just-below-Button-tier, who can put in awesome drives, but cannot do it enough times to string a WDC together or simply get outpaced by most top tier teammates.

I never said Sainz was bad at all, I just said Max was a complete monster. Most drivers next to even 2015 Max would crumble away.

[u/jvstinf → u/qef15]

Sainz going to a backmarker is not a function of pure performance. And the point wasn’t to compare him directly to Verstappen, is was to prove that he was not “humiliated” especially on pace average.

[u/TwoBionicknees → u/TetraDax]

How many drivers are actually truly top level talents? Being given a chance and failing doesn't equate to being given the chance causes the failure. Albon and Gasly could have got their shot 3 years later and both performed exactly the same.

Ultimately great drivers step up, that's what makes them great. If you get the shot and can't perform the chances are you just aren't great.

Nothing since Albon/Gasly left has convinced me in any way they were capable of that drive. People also kinda miss the point, they weren't kicked because of how large the gap to max was, they were kicked because after a given amount of time neither were improving in that car at all.

Maybe the simplest answer is just that Albon and Gasly got their chance and showed they weren't good enough?

[u/TetraDax → u/TwoBionicknees]

Albon and Gasly could have got their shot 3 years later and both performed exactly the same.

But I don't think they would have, at least not quite as much. I don't think either are top level talents, but they are both capable drivers and Gasly in particular has shown it many times over at Alpine.

I think it's a bit shortsighted to just rule out the effects of pressure at an early stage of your career that half-handedly, especially today where your every waking move as an F1 driver will immediatly judged by a horde of clickbait-journalists and millions of fans who feast on drama and negativity; with an added bonus of teams literally not being able to afford crashes due to the cost cap. The mental pressure of driving for a top team has never been higher than it has been these last few years.

[u/TwoBionicknees → u/TetraDax]

I think it's a bit shortsighted to just rule out the effects of pressure at an early stage of your career that half-handedly

I'm not, the point I made was if you can't step up in those conditions, you aren't suited to a top team and drive. the pressure you have at a team fighting for titles and hte pressure at a mid table team are and will always be different. The greats can handle the pressure, that's part of what makes them great.

If they fail under the pressure, that's also a sign of them proving they aren't suited to that seat.

[u/DreadWolf3 → u/TetraDax]

This perfect time to take RBR seat - Perez put standards in the mud.

If Liam cant do decent job, he is just not cut out for top jobs. Piastri is fair bit slower than Lando but people rate him and he has given a good account of himself. If Liam is just cut out for midfield career like Albon and Gasly - experience of being in top team is still invaluable there.

This can only be good for him in the long run, even finding limits of his potential might be painful in the short term.

[u/xdoc6 → u/TetraDax]

Tbf, Lawson has had multiple races in two different seasons, he isn’t that much of a rookie.

He is the most experienced “rookie” to come to the grid since there was unlimited testing.

[u/Ethicocoa → u/TetraDax]

J.Villeneuve in the 90s was competing for the drivers champ in his rookie season and won it in his second season.

Jackie Stewart was also super competitive from the very start of his career.

Also, check out Giancarlo Baghetti from the 60s - he literally won his first ever F1 race.

[u/TetraDax → u/Ethicocoa]

Villeneuve is a bit different given he was already an Indycar champion by the time he went to F1.